A large brush fire broke out Thursday morning in the Laguna Beach area of California. Officials have ordered residents to evacuate their homes, which are threatened by the massive blaze.
An immediate evacuation order has been sent out for Irvine Cove and both North and South Emerald Bay, according to City of Laguna Beach. The fire was reported at 4:09 a.m. Thursday morning local time as a vegetation fire in Emerald Bay. Within two hours, due to powerful Santa Ana winds, the fire spread across seven acres, according to the Orange County Fire Authority.
Both directions of Coast Highway are closed as of Thursday morning. An evacuation warning has also been issued for all of North Laguna.
All schools in North Laguna will be closed Thursday. (RELATED: It’s ‘Not Correct’ To Blame Global Warming For California’s Wildfires, Scientist Says)
OCFA crews are currently fighting the fire both on the ground and in the air by use of water-dropping helicopters.
The OCFA Fire Chief held a media briefing at 7:00 a.m. local time.